CBU – St Petersburg: Surprises on the last day

Yesterday was our last day with the kids at the Transit Center. While it was one of the hardest days that any of us have endured, it was also one of the happiest. Being the last day we could spend with these kids we had planned a party for them; little did we know that they had plans for us as well. After we got the kids ready for the party we came back together to dance and hangout, and just enjoy our last few hours with them. When they returned we were informed that they had planned a special … Continue reading

CBU – Novgorod: Saying goodbye…

Hello again. Thank you so much for all of your prayers for our ministry here. We had a fantastic day of camp on Wednesday with a lesson on encouragement. Everyone on the team really came together to plan, organize and execute the lesson and activities for the camp so well after a more difficult previous day at camp. We were all so pleased to see all the kids come up to write multiple examples of encouraging words on the poster board–it was such a pleasant surprise that the lesson was so well received by the kids. After our fun day … Continue reading

CBU – St Petersburg: Three more days of camp

With only three days left of our camp in St. Petersburg, we are amazed at the relationships being built. The kids have settled into a routine of a daily skit and games in the gym, followed by group time with the teenage guys, teenage girls and younger children and ending the day with a trip to the park to play games. Keeping with the Olympic theme, the daily skit has reoccurring characters who are competitors in the “Olympics of life” and “the trainer” who is always there to guide them. Each day’s skit has a theme or moral such as … Continue reading

CBU – Novgorod: Second week of camp

Hello friends and family! I have a lot of exciting things to report for the Novgorod team.  We are still very busy and time is flying by.  On Sunday our team had the privilege of attending and participating in a service at the church where we are being housed.  On behalf of our team, Megan, Sean, and I lead the church in worship.  It was truly beautiful to hear everyone worshiping even though we didn’t speak the same language.  After worship, three of us had the opportunity to open up to the congregation by sharing with them our testimonies.  Needless … Continue reading

CBU – Novgorod: Building friendships

The past few days have been such an adventure…we haven’t even had the time to update this blog on time 🙂 On Wednesday at the orphanage, a group of musicians came to play for the children and teach them a bit about different instruments and sounds.  The children had a blast!  After the children’s dinner, we took them to a park nearby and had a group kicking around a soccer ball and a group picking flowers and making “flower crowns” for the girls.  While there, we learned a few Russian games that the children love to play. On Thursday, we … Continue reading